Devices allow users to input information in a number of ways, such as with a keyboard, pointing devices, and dedicated hardware buttons. With respect to pointing devices, devices may receive user input from a mouse and/or a touchpad. If configured with a digitizer, inputs may also be made by sensing stylus proximity and touch (e.g., entered via a pen or a finger). Some devices, such as tablet-based personal computers, have the digitizer built into the display screen. Such devices may be operated with or without a keyboard. Speech commands, eye movement data, and gaze detection can be detected as inputs to devices using microphones and cameras without requiring the user to physically touch the device.
The user interface may provide a number of options or choices for the user may select. The displayed options or choices may be determined based upon the current context of the user interface, a device or user environment, prior selections, and the like. In current systems, the contexts and display options or choices all require active user input to the device, such as a button press, mouse movement or click, audible command, program interaction, and the like. For example, using manual inputs through a touch screens or voice inputs through a speech detector, the user may control a device or a user input. The user may apply voice or manual inputs to navigate into a submenu. Each submenu is typically dependent upon the user's prior input and may offer a reduced number of options or a set of choices that are based upon the user's last input.
Some devices allow users to enter commands using spoken words. In some cases, the same voice command may be used in a number of different contexts. However, the user has to manually indicate or select a context that the command is associated with before speaking.